The Year of Redemption

Chapter 52: Glass

Cas accidentally spilled some flour on Dean's shirt when he was measuring it for the cookies. "Hey!" Dean accused.

"Sorry," Cas apologized, then made to wipe it off of Dean's shirt. But it was too late. Dean had grabbed a spoon and filled it with flour. He took a few steps backwards and then flung the spoonful towards Cas, coating the front of his shirt with white powder.

"Payback," the hunter stated, grinning.

The angel looked at him quizzically, but grabbed a spoon himself and chucked more flour at Dean's shirt, turning it white as well. "Now we're even," he said. They both laughed childishly and started wiping at their shirts, unable to get the flour off.

Dean walked up to Cas and put his hands at the top of the angel's button-up. "Here, let me." He started undoing the buttons and slowly peeled the shirt off of Castiel. Then he held it to the side and shook it out, creating a cloud of white powder in the air. He threw Cas's shirt back at him, then peeled off his own and did the same.

They both ended up coughing and laughing and retreating to the living room again as the white powder swirled through the air in the kitchen and finally settled to the ground.

"You're cleaning that up," Cas asserted, motioning to the kitchen. Dean rolled his eyes, still laughing, and helped him button up his shirt again. They returned to the kitchen and finished mixing the cookie batter. While the cookies were baking, Dean showed Cas how to make hamburgers because the angel had insisted that Dean needed some sort of "actual, halfway-healthy sustenance" as well.

Next, they watched both Ghostbusters movies, and Dean ate some of the hamburgers and some of the cookies, then rested his head back on Castiel's shoulder.

After the first movie, Cas got up to clear Dean's dishes. He came back to find the hunter laying on his side on the couch. Castiel stared down at Dean expectantly, and the hunter scooted forwards, making just enough room for another body. Cas grinned, amused, and laid down in the small space behind the hunter. Dean leaned back into Castiel, and the angel wrapped an arm around him. They both shifted slightly, finding a comfortable position, and they watched the second Ghostbusters movie that way.

Once it finished, Dean turned around under Cas's arm to face the angel. "So what do you think of our fine motion pictures?"

"Seems like an excellent way to watch things that could actually happen without going out... and actually watching them happen," the angel responded.

"You know, some people don't think a lot of the stuff that happens in movies is real, like the whole ghost bit... That's what makes it so exciting," Dean mentioned. "Also, I'm pretty sure there's no Land of Oz with insecure talking scarecrows and tin men and lions... or giant animated marshmallow men who want to take over Manhattan."

"You also thought there was no such thing as angels," Cas reminded him.

"Touché." Dean pushed Cas gently to his back and crawled on top of him, laying his head on the angel's chest. "You're right," he said. "I was an idiot back then."

Cas stroked Dean's hair thoughtfully. The credits had ended, and they were laying in complete silence and darkness. "Dean?" he asked hesitantly. He felt like they had so much to talk about still, so much they needed to explain to each other. Yet at times like these, when there seemed to be a perfect opportunity, he never wanted to bring any of it up.

They were so content, so peaceful just being with each other, cherishing and memorizing how it felt to be that close. He didn't want to remind Dean of everything they'd gone through, of all they'd done to hurt each other. It was too recent, too fresh and painful still.